Correspondence

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how many letters to Ministers in the Government Equalities Office were (a) not answered, (b) not answered within six months and (c) not answered within three months in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; how many such letters were from hon. Members; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: As of 1 April 2011, the Government Equalities Office has been part of the Home Office and is no longer a separate Government Department. The information requested will be provided by the Minister for Immigration, the hon. Member for Ashford (Damian Green), in response to your question to the Secretary of State for the Home Department.

Airports: Thames Estuary

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions (a) Ministers and (b) officials in her Department have had with (i) ministerial colleagues, (ii) the Mayor of London, (iii) civil engineering companies, (iv) the National Air Traffic Control Service and (v) airline companies on a possible airport in the Thames estuary; and if she will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: Officials and Ministers at the Department for Transport have regular meetings with stakeholders at which a range of aviation issues are raised. The specific information requested is not readily available. It would incur disproportionate costs to compile list of all meetings between Ministers and officials in the department and the individuals and organisations listed and to crosscheck the issues raised by stakeholders at those meetings.
	Information on ministerial meetings with external organisations is published quarterly and can be found at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications/ministerial-transparency/#meetings
	The Government will publish a consultation on its draft aviation policy framework and a call for evidence on options for maintaining the UK's hub connectivity later this summer.

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much her Department spent on improving infrastructure at the Dartford crossing in each year since 31 March 2002.

Michael Penning: The Highways Agency produces an account for the Dartford Crossing on an annual basis, which includes details of improvement expenditure. Copies of the accounts are available in the House of Commons Library and on the Highways Agency website—the latest covering the year ending 31 March 2011.
	The annual account for the year ending 31 March 2012 is currently being prepared and should be available early in 2013.
	Prior to 1 April 2003, expenditure would be shown in the annual accounts of the Concessionaire at that time, Dartford River Crossing Limited, who built the QEII Bridge and then operated the entire crossing from 1991. Copies of these accounts, if still available, may be obtained through Companies House.

Driving Offences: Insurance

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps her Department plans to take to reduce the number of people driving without insurance.

Michael Penning: The steps the Department is taking to reduce uninsured driving include:
	(a) Enforcing action against offenders who keep a vehicle without insurance, known as the continuous insurance enforcement scheme (CIE). This has been enforced since last June;
	(b) Tackling fraud by working with the insurance industry to allow them access to DVLA driver details on penalty points and disqualifications.
	The Government is also concerned that the rising cost of insurance may tempt motorists to drive while uninsured and is working closely with the insurance industry on measures which will help reduce premiums. The Prime Minister held a summit with industry leaders in February and there was a follow up summit in May.

East Anglia Main Line

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what assessment her Department has made of the potential economic benefits of improving rail links along the East Anglian mainline;
	(2)  what recent assessment her Department has made of progress in the upgrading of the East Anglian mainline railway into and out of London.

Theresa Villiers: Studies by the former East of England Development Agency and others have estimated the potential economic benefits of improvements to the East Anglian Mainline.
	We will consider this route as part of our preparation for the High Level Output Specification (HLOS), setting out what we expect the rail industry to deliver in the period between 2014 and 2019 (CP5). This will take account of the needs of the railway as a whole, and our current fiscal position.
	The HLOS will be published by end July 2012.

Motor Vehicles: Crime Prevention

Steven Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the (a) effectiveness and (b) proportionality of extending anti-tampering measures to all powered two-wheeled vehicles.

Michael Penning: The Department's impact assessment could not find evidence to support anti-tampering measures on unrestricted motorcycles and on this basis the Government has opposed proposals to extend anti-tampering measures to unrestricted motorcycles.
	However, a Commission sponsored study is underway which may provide evidence on the scale of tampering, its influence on accidents in the EU, and the effectiveness of new regulations. The Department will consider the results of this study when they are published.

Parking

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether she has any plans to bring forward proposals to regulate the operations of private parking operators.

Norman Baker: From 1 October 2012 the Protection of Freedoms Act will make it an offence in England and Wales for private parking companies to clamp or tow a vehicle without lawful authority.
	From this date, private parking companies will rely on ticketing and will only be able to pursue motorists for an unpaid parking charge if they have the vehicle keeper's contact details. The DVLA will only provide these details to companies that are members of a Government Accredited Trade Association. To retain membership the company must abide by a code of practice and conduct itself professionally.
	The Government works with the parking sector to regularly review the position, including the potential to strengthen it. To this end the British Parking Association is currently revising its code of practice (the Approved Operator Scheme). In addition to coincide with the introduction of the Protection of Freedoms Act, the Government has asked the industry to establish and fund a fully independent appeals service covering all tickets issued by private parking companies with access to DVLA data. The appeals body will be a free service to motorists.

Transport: Exports

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to British Chambers of Commerce recommendations in the Exporting is Good for Britain and Transport Connections Support Trade report, if she will produce a comprehensive aviation strategy for the UK.

Theresa Villiers: We intend to consult in the summer on a draft sustainable framework for UK aviation. Alongside this we intend to publish a call for evidence on maintaining effective UK hub airport connectivity. The Government aims to adopt the final Aviation Policy Framework next spring.

Transport: Exports

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to British Chambers of Commerce's Exporting is Good for Britain and Transport Connections Support Trade survey, if she will put in place incentives to use rail and sea transport considered important to British exporters.

Michael Penning: The Government is committed to maintaining a dynamic, sustainable transport system that supports UK economic growth and competitiveness.
	The Department for Transport already provides incentives to encourage the transfer of freight from road to rail and water where the cost is higher than road and where there are environmental benefits to be gained.
	Grants towards the operating costs of running rail and water freight services are provided through the Mode Shift Revenue Support and Waterborne Freight Grant schemes.
	The Department has also endorsed the Freight Transport Association's Mode Shift Centre, which provides objective information to companies considering the use of rail or water transport for their operations.

Stalking: Risk Assessment

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been trained by her Department in the use of the stalking risk assessment tool; and if she will publish a list of people trained in the use of the stalking risk assessment tool for use by police and probation services.

Lynne Featherstone: The stalking risk profile is a structured tool to assess the risks that victims of stalking may face. The Government does not hold information on how many individuals have been trained in the use of this tool, which is a commercial product.

Theft: Metals

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make stolen metal an assigned matter for the UK Border Force.

Chloe Smith: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Treasury.
	Border Force work closely with SOCA and police forces to help combat crime at the border. Where there is reason to suspect that goods for export may be stolen, Border Force officers can stop the goods leaving and refer the matter to the police for them to take any necessary further action.

Atos Healthcare

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to begin the review of his Department's contract with Atos for the work capability assessment; and what aims his Department will have for that review.

Chris Grayling: The review of our contract with Atos is a continual process so that improvement and necessary change can be properly managed. The Department is currently looking at simplifying the management of the contract and to ensure continued fitness for purpose. The contract is due to expire in August 2015 and the Department plan to commence consideration of future requirements and strategy within the next 18 months.

Employment and Support Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average wait was between a request for a reconsideration before appeal of an employment and support allowance eligibility decision and the completion of that reconsideration in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: These statistics have not previously been published as official statistics. We will consider whether to include the statistics requested in part of an upcoming statistics release in line with the code of practice on Official Statistics.

National Employment Savings Trust Scheme

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the likely effects of the ban on transferring current pensions into the National Employment Savings Trust on the projected take-up of the scheme.

Steve Webb: NEST was established to support the introduction of automatic enrolment into workplace pensions by offering a simple, low-cost pension scheme to individuals on low to moderate earnings and employers that the existing pensions industry does not serve well.
	Individuals join NEST through an employer choosing to use the scheme to fulfil their automatic enrolment duties. DWP currently estimate that between two and 5 million people will be members of NEST by the end of the implementation of automatic enrolment. Assumptions on the likely take up of automatic enrolment are reviewed on a regular basis, including the estimated membership of NEST.
	The restrictions on transfers into and out of NEST are intended to ensure NEST is focussed on its target market; to minimise market turbulence during the implementation of the reforms; and to encourage continuity of savings among NEST members, who can continue to contribute to the scheme even when no longer employed. The Pensions Act 2008 requires the Secretary of State to review the effect of these restrictions in 2017.
	In its recent inquiry into automatic enrolment in workplace pensions and NEST, the Work and Pensions Select Committee recommended that the Government remove transfer restrictions on NEST, if State Aid rules allow this. We continue to reflect on the points made by the Committee, alongside responses to our recent consultation on improving transfers and dealing with small pension pots across the pensions industry. That consultation closed on 23 March 2012 and we intend to publish a response in the summer.

Personal Pensions

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to address the decline in the amounts saved in personal pensions in the last three years.

Steve Webb: Automatic enrolment into a workplace pension scheme, with a minimum employer contribution, is designed to address the problem of pensions undersaving and reverse the decline in scheme membership.
	In addition, the Government has announced that we will reform the state pensions system to introduce a single tier pension for future pensioners.
	These reforms will usher in a simpler and fairer system that reduces the need for means testing and better supports saving for retirement. We will provide further detail in a White Paper in the spring.
	Saving in a personal pension outside the workplace is a voluntary endeavour on the part of individuals and the level of savings will reflect individual circumstances and preferences. Government encourages pension saving (both in workplace and personal pensions) through the provision of tax relief on pension contributions, which provides an incentive to save.

Universal Credit

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people claiming benefits and who may be eligible to claim universal credit who do not have access to the internet in their homes.

Chris Grayling: DWP is working to develop data on home internet access that includes all access channels, however we do not currently hold this information.

Ethiopia

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has set any benchmarks to assess the Ethiopian Government's respect for human rights (a) in the Gambella region and (b) under its villagisation programme.

Henry Bellingham: The UK takes allegations of human rights abuses extremely seriously. The UK has led multi-agency missions, independent from the Ethiopian government, to Gambella and the Somalia region, two of the four regions affected by the villagisation programme. The missions found no evidence of systematic or widespread human rights abuses. We have raised concerns with the Government of Ethiopia that resettlement has been poorly planned, and that destination sites often do not have facilities such as schools and health centres in place before people move. While we have not set any formal benchmarks, the UK will continue to monitor closely the situation in Gambella and other regions affected by the villagisation programme and will use a common methodology for these assessments. We will also maintain our ongoing dialogue with the Ethiopian Government over the implementation of the commune programme.

Israel

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will support the position of Defence for Children International on the detention of Palestinian children by Israel.

Alistair Burt: The British Government supports the valuable work done by Defence for Children International in highlighting the issues of detention of Palestinian children. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has been pleased to provided funding for the work of Defence for Children International in the recent past.
	We have also funded a report by leading UK and international lawyers on child detainees, including how far Israeli military law complies with international standards in respect of child detentions. Together with several stakeholders, Defence for Children International is co-operating in the production of the report, which is expected imminently.

Literacy

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to improve the accuracy of the grammar, punctuation and spelling of schoolchildren.

Nick Gibb: The Government is taking a number of steps to improve the accuracy of grammar, punctuation and spelling. Mastering these basic skills is a vital part of all pupils' education.
	A new Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling test at Key Stage 2 will be introduced in 2013. The new test will place an increased focus on this area and encourage good teaching. We are also recognising the importance of grammar, punctuation and spelling across subjects by reintroducing specific marks in GCSEs with a significant proportion of written assessment.
	In addition, strengthening the approach to these essential skills will be a priority within the new National Curriculum, which we expect to consult on before the summer.

Teachers: Pensions

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance he (a) has issued and (b) plans to issue to education authorities on (i) the time period to be used for the conversion of Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) funds in the case of schools seeking conversion to academy status, (ii) variations in calculation criteria and time periods which are used by local authorities and (iii) the process to be followed by local authorities to ensure that schools converting to academies are able to enter pooling arrangements for LGPS.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 21 May 2012
	In December 2011, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles), and the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), issued a joint letter to local government leaders, chief executives, and LGPS administering authorities recommending that where an Academy wishes to be pooled with the local authority, the administering authority positively considers this. Guidance for practitioners was promised in the joint letter and the first edition was issued on 29 February. This guidance will be expanded to include more detailed information about the pooling process in the second edition, to be published by the end of the month. Further guidance will be developed as necessary.

Hunterston B Power Station

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he has received any representations from Michael Russell MSP in relation to fire safety at Hunterston B power station.

Charles Hendry: Michael Russell MSP wrote to the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey) on behalf of his constituent on 29 February 2012. On 4 April 2012, the Minister of State for Employment my right hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling) wrote to Michael Russell MSP addressing his constituent's concerns about fire safety at Hunterston B Power Station and Sizewell B Power Station.

Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the oral answer of 17 May 2012, Official Report, column 672, on feed-in tariffs, when the orders for the next reduction in tariff level would need to be laid for them to have effect by 1 July 2012.

Gregory Barker: The tariffs payable under the Feed-in Tariffs scheme are set within the Standard Conditions of Electricity Supply Licences.
	As required by the Energy Act 2008, draft modifications to those licence conditions were laid in Parliament on 24 May 2012 with the intention that they will come into effect on 1 August 2012 and reduce tariffs for solar photovoltaic installations which become eligible for feed-in tariffs from that date. The latest date for laying the changes before Parliament so as to take effect on 1 August would have been 15 June 2012.

Warm Front Scheme

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the oral answer of 17 May 2012, Official Report, column 1686, on energy efficiency, what the evidential basis is for the statement that Opposition hon. Members said that Warm Front had closed last winter and was no longer available.

Gregory Barker: Anecdotally a misleading impression was given by commentators regarding the closure of Warm Front in December 2010. At that time, the Government announced a temporary closure of Warm Front owing to the full use of the available budget for the financial year 2010-11. The Scheme reopened in April 2011 and funding continues to be available.

Warm Home Discount Scheme

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department has taken to monitor the application of the warm homes discount scheme

Gregory Barker: Energy suppliers participating the warm home discount scheme are required to report on their spending under the scheme after the end of each scheme year to Ofgem who have a statutory duty to monitor suppliers' compliance with the scheme regulations. Ofgem will provide an annual report to the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), once the necessary compliance and audit checks have been completed.

Bomb Disposal: Northern Ireland

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish any memorandum of understanding he has agreed with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on (a) resourcing and (b) deployment of the Army Bomb Disposal Team in Northern Ireland.

Nick Harvey: There is no memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Defence and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on resourcing and deployment of the Army bomb disposal team in Northern Ireland. The armed forces provide specific niche Explosive Ordnance Disposal capabilities to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) in support of the UK Government's aim to reduce the risk from terrorism. This support is provided above and beyond normal UK military aid to the civil authorities arrangements and is provided free of charge to the PSNI.

Defence: Procurement

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to his Department's press notice of 14 May 2012, which programmes make up the committed core equipment programme that amounts to £160 billion; and what the (a) length of the programme's life cycle and (b) cost over the duration of the programme's life cycle is for each programme.

Peter Luff: The Core Equipment Programme is worth around £152 billion over the next decade, including a contingency of around £4 billion. An additional £8 billion is held as unallocated provision. The core equipment programme, together with the £8 billion of unallocated provision, will fund the capabilities that we require to deliver Future Force 2020 as set out in the strategic defence and security review. These include all of the capabilities announced by the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), in his statement of 14 May 2012, Official Report, columns 261-64, as well as those announced by the then Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Somerset (Dr Fox), on 18 July 2011, Official Report, columns 66-70WS.
	Details of major programmes' through-life cost and timescales are released in the annual Major Projects Report. We also intend to publish a summary of the Equipment Programme which is expected to include more detail than has previously been made public. However some elements of the defence budget are security-sensitive and others are commercially sensitive. As such, it would not be appropriate to provide full details of every project in the core programme.

Overseas Aid

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what programmes or projects his Department is funding to strengthen the capacity of public sector audit, revenue collection or financial managements systems in developing countries; what countries are supported; what the goals are of each project; how much funding his Department has provided in each case; what the start and end date is in each case; and what contractors or other bodies are providing assistance.

Stephen O'Brien: Most of the DFID's country offices are involved in helping to strengthen some aspect of public financial management. Larger projects include those in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Ghana and Nigeria. In Rwanda and Sierra Leone we have projects specifically supporting the supreme audit institution. The countries which we are helping with revenue include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of Congo, various states in India, Mozambique, Nepal, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Zambia.
	As part of its evidence paper to the International Development Committee for its inquiry into Tax in Developing Countries, DFID prepared an analysis of tax related project spending over the period 2006-07 to 2010-11. A schedule listing projects which are still in progress will be placed in the Library. It shows for each the benefitting country, overall project goal, overall budget and percentage that relates to tax and the spend to date. Information on the contractors or other bodies involved in providing the assistance is also given. Some funding is, in whole or in part, financial aid, which is funding paid to the recipient government. The contractor information relates only to the non-financial aid element of the project. This means it concerns the main organisations contracted by DFID, rather than organisations which may be contracted by the recipient government.
	It has not been possible to provide similar information for projects relating to public audit and other aspects of public financial management, as to do so would incur excessive staff time and therefore cost.

Overseas Aid

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department gave to (a) India, (b) Pakistan and (c) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in 2011; whether any such funding had a designated purpose; and what those purposes were.

Andrew Mitchell: In 2010-11, the Department for International Development (DFID) gave no bilateral aid to St Vincent and the Grenadines.
	UK aid to Pakistan is focused on ensuring stability and prosperity for Pakistan and the region. In 2010-11 DFID invested £203 million to help Pakistan. We are on track to: get 4 million children into school; help over 1.2 million people—more than half of these Women—access credit; support 500,000 couples to access family planning; and provide practical job training to tens of thousands of people.
	In India, where we are walking the last mile, DFID invested £279 million of aid and support. We are on track to: give 3 million poor people (2.1 million of them women) access to credit, insurance and savings; help over 400,000 mothers deliver babies more safely; reach 3.9 million children with nutrition programmes; and support over 800,000 children to enrol in secondary school and 1.5 million children to enrol in primary school.
	Our programme is now concentrated in three of the power states; up to half now focus on the role of the private sector in poverty alleviation.

Meetings

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on what dates (a) he, (b) Ministers and (c) senior officials in his Department have met representatives of (i) the Institute for Public Policy Research, (ii) the Taxpayers' Alliance, (iii) the Institute of Economic Affairs, (iv) ResPublica, (v) the Centre for Social Justice and (vi) Policy Exchange; and if he will publish the minutes and agendas of these meetings.

Kenneth Clarke: Ministry of Justice Ministers hold meetings with a wide variety of stakeholders as part of the process of policy development and delivery. It is not the Government's practice to provide all details of such meetings.
	However, the Ministry of Justice publishes quarterly meetings between Ministers and external organisations as well as meetings between permanent secretaries and external organisations. This can be found at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/corporate-reports
	The next return is due to be published soon.
	The Ministry of Justice does not centrally record meetings attended by senior officials in the department. To collate this information would exceed the cost limit for answering parliamentary questions.

Proceeds of Crime

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 14 May 2012, Official Report, column 13W, on electronic tagging; for what reasons detailed assessment of the Community Cashback Scheme was not undertaken.

Crispin Blunt: “Community Cashback” was a one-off scheme launched by the previous Administration in June 2009 to distribute recovered criminal assets to local areas to be reinvested for the benefit of their communities during the financial year 2009-10.
	In 2010 this Government took the decision not to run any further rounds of Community Cashback funding, and has no plans to commit resources to evaluating a scheme which we have no plans to repeat.
	We plan to raise up to an additional £50 million from offenders through extending the Victim Surcharge and other financial penalties, on top of the £66 million that central Government already spends on victim's services. It is intended that this additional funding will be used for services which help to support victims of crime.

Young Offenders: Greater Manchester

Paul Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the reasons for the reduction in the number of young adults from Manchester held in young offender institutions since May 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: The Government welcomes the reduction in the number of young adults from Manchester that are being held in young offender institutions. Across the country we are working to achieve improved outcomes for all young adults through a range of policies and operational practice developments currently being taken forward. This includes diversion away from custody, where appropriate, and tough and coordinated rehabilitation activity requiring offenders to face and tackle the problems which cause their offending.

Civil Servants: Pay

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of senior staff in each (a) government department, (b) executive agency and (c) non-departmental public body who are paid by means of payments to a limited company in lieu of a salary; and if he will make a statement.

Danny Alexander: On 23 May, I announced the findings of the “Review of the tax arrangements of public sector appointees”. This set out the extent of senior off payroll engagements across Government—including those paid via personal service companies—and made recommendations to ensure that, in future Government employers are able to assure themselves that their senior off payroll staff are meeting their tax obligations.
	This review, and links to the data provided by Departments to the review are available on the Treasury, website at:
	www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/tax_pay_appointees_review.htm

Income Tax

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of low earners who will not pay income tax in 2012-13 as a result of the measures he proposes to introduce.

David Gauke: The 2011 Budget announced a £630 cash increase in the personal allowance for under 65s to £8,105 in 2012-13 (£240 above expected RPI indexation), with an equivalent reduction in the basic rate limit to leave the higher rate threshold unchanged.
	As a result of these measures, the Government estimated that in 2012-13 260,000 of the lowest income taxpayers will be removed from tax altogether. Information at Government office region is provided in the following table:
	
		
			 Government office region Number taken out of income tax (thousand) 
			 North East 10 
			 North West and Merseyside 28 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 26 
		
	
	
		
			 East Midlands 18 
			 West Midlands 25 
			 East of England 25 
			 London 30 
			 South East 32 
			 South West 24 
			 Wales 10 
			 Scotland 21 
			 Northern Ireland 9 
			 Address abroad / unknown 3 
			 All 260 
		
	
	These estimates are based on the 2007-08 Survey of Personal Incomes, projected to 2012-13 using economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility's March 2011 economic and fiscal outlook.
	Reliable estimates are not available at parliamentary constituency level, due to greater uncertainties in projections for small geographical areas and small sample sizes.
	The 2012 Budget announced a £1,100 cash increase in the personal allowance for under 65s to £9,205 in 2013-14, £850 above expected RPI indexation, and representing the largest increase in the level of the personal allowance in both cash and real terms for the last 30 years. The Government is committed to supporting lower and middle income earners by raising the personal allowance to £10,000, and removing the lowest income individuals out of income tax. Decisions on future changes in the personal allowance will be taken as part of the annual Budget process in the context of the wider public finances.

Income Tax

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the number of workers in (a) Pendle, (b) Lancashire and (c) the north-west who will be affected by the increase in the personal allowance.

David Gauke: The 2012 Budget announced a £1,100 cash increase in the personal, allowance for under 65s to £9,205 in 2013-14, £850 above expected RPI indexation, and representing the largest increase in the level of the personal allowance in both cash and real terms for the last 30 years.
	As a result of this change, the Government estimates that in the north-west and Merseyside, 2.57 million taxpayers in total will benefit, 95 thousand will be taken out of tax altogether and 149,000 taxpayers with income above £41,450 will pay more.
	These estimates are based on the 2009-10 Survey of Personal Incomes, projected to 2013-14 using economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility's March 2012 economic and fiscal outlook.
	Reliable estimates are not available at the local authority and parliamentary constituency levels due to greater uncertainties in making projections for small geographical areas.

Personal Savings

John Glen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to increase consumer confidence in savings for retirement.

Mark Hoban: The Government has taken a number of steps to give consumers confidence in saving for retirement, including: promoting choice by removing the effective requirement to annuitise at age 75; introducing automatic enrolment of eligible employees into a minimum quality workplace pension scheme from October 2012; and working with industry and consumer groups to establish a 'default' open market option.
	The Government has also taken steps to give consumers confidence in the wider savings market by introducing a Junior ISA; introducing the Money Advice Service; announcing at Budget 2012 that the Government will work with industry to improve competitiveness and transparency in the ISA market; and indexing ISA contribution limits to inflation. The Government has also asked an independent Steering Group to devise a suite of simple financial products which are straightforward and easy to understand.
	The Government is also setting up the new Financial Conduct Authority as a single, dedicated conduct regulator that will intervene more proactively and decisively to police the conduct of financial services firms, prevent consumer detriment, and secure better outcomes for consumers. The FCA will also be a more open and transparent organisation so that consumers can see what the regulator is doing to ensure that markets function well, and hold it to account.

Agriculture

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to promote the benefits of new farming practices to farmers.

James Paice: DEFRA works with several organisations, including the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (ADHB), on projects which help farmers to transfer new farming research into practical solutions. Most DEFRA funded research includes knowledge transfer arrangements to encourage the uptake of findings. This includes demonstration activities, eg through East Malling Research, Stockbridge, Warwick HRI and other horticultural institutes with the aim of improving farm productivity through reduced diseases, and reduced and/or better targeted water and pesticide usage.
	The Rural Development Programme England (RDPE) socio-economic investment Programme is in the process of setting up a new Skills and Knowledge Transfer framework which will channel up to £20 million into a flexible and locally targetable skills training programme to be launched in the autumn of 2012. This framework will promote the benefits of new farming practices through targeting the business management skills, knowledge transfer, innovation and technical skills; animal health and welfare; and resource use efficiency. These activities have been developed with industry input and aim to support the needs of the sector moving forward. RDPE funding has also supported over 40 demonstration or “Monitor Farms” across England to demonstrate how effective use of best practice, health planning and research developments can reduce costs and improve performance.
	Since 1 January 2012, the new Farming Advice Service (FAS) provides advice on nutrient management and competitiveness, including new farming practices and research outputs. The new service is delivered by AEA Technology plc in active partnership with industry-related bodies, such as AHDB and ADAS, taking advantage wherever possible of existing activities and engagement with farmers.
	DEFRA also supports several voluntary approaches to promote the uptake of new practices (eg the Pesticides Voluntary Initiative, Campaign for the Farmed Environment, and industry's Greenhouse Gas Action Plan). DEFRA is currently reviewing the effectiveness of voluntary approaches and the wider provision of advice and incentives to farmers following commitments in the 2011 Natural Environment White Paper.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what clinical trials her Department is supporting to investigate future vaccine resistance in badgers.

James Paice: DEFRA is not supporting any clinical trials to investigate future vaccine resistance in badgers.
	Our badger vaccines research programme is now focused on the development of an effective and affordable oral vaccine, which would be more practical to deploy than the current injectable vaccine. This is still at the research stage and is being conducted in collaboration with researchers in the Republic of Ireland and New Zealand. In parallel, research at the AHVLA and Fera is ongoing looking at the most suitable bait for the oral vaccine and evaluating strategies for deployment. Compared to an injectable vaccine, an oral vaccine is technically more difficult to formulate and we cannot say with any certainty if and when an oral badger vaccine might be available for use in the field.

Food Supply

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  when she expects to publish her proposals for the Government's Green Food Project;
	(2)  if she will take steps to ensure the Government's Green Food Project covers all aspects of food sustainability;
	(3)  if she will take steps to ensure the Green Good Project takes into account health, environmental, social and economic consequences arising from the way food is produced, sold and disposed of in the UK.

James Paice: The Green Food Project is a joint initiative between the food and farming industry, environmental and consumer organisations and Government.
	A steering group of senior representatives from these organisations was set up to oversee and determine the direction of the project's work. Throughout the discussions they have debated a number of food sustainability, social, economic, environmental and health related issues.
	The initial findings of the project will be published in July 2012.

Food Supply

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to promote innovative local food initiatives.

James Paice: The marketing of regional and local food can bring benefits to both producers and consumers alike and we want to encourage innovation in the sector. Recently, DEFRA and the Technology Strategy Board held an innovation summit to increase awareness of the innovation support mechanisms which are available to the food micro, small and medium-sized businesses and we launched a competition for SMEs to develop new techniques.
	DEFRA support for local food chain initiatives in England has come mainly from the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE). This funding has supported initiatives including, support for local food marketing linked to tourism activity, individual food producers and retail outlets, food hubs and farmers' markets. Support will continue to be available through the new RDPE nationally consistent schemes.
	Last September, we published the Social Enterprise Action Research (SEAR) Report on Community Food Enterprises. This report (co-funded by DEFRA and the Cabinet Office) confirmed that across the country there are a range of local food groups of different sizes and membership emerging, often bringing together growers, processors and small food businesses. We welcome the development of these groups and the many benefits they can bring to producers and the local community, particularly to support local growth, but recognise that with the recent changes to the regional tier and closure of RDAs, it is for local communities and local economic partnerships to decide where and how initiatives of this nature develop.

Food Supply

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether (a) she, (b) her Ministers and (c) officials in her Department have had any recent discussions on local food initiatives with counterparts at the Department for Communities and Local Government.

James Paice: Ministers are frequently in discussion with colleagues at the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) regarding a range of issues, including local food initiatives, particularly in the context of the Food Growing in Schools Task Force. In addition DEFRA officials have also had discussions within the last year with their DCLG counterparts on a number of local food related initiatives including the “Communities Orchards: How to Guide” which DEFRA contributed to and on retail markets including those which sell local food.

Food: Recycling

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department has undertaken any recent research into the life-cycle impacts of food.

James Paice: DEFRA has funded life-cycle research to quantify the impacts of agricultural commodities, compare the environmental impacts of different production systems, assess GHG emissions from post-farm gate stages in the food chain and sustainability impacts of changes towards healthier diets. DEFRA has also funded a review of evidence on the impacts of the food chain, which reviewed the Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) data available.

Food: Sustainable Development

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of her Department's capability to undertake research into sustainable food production practices.

James Paice: DEFRA commissions research from its own agencies such as the Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA) and Animal Health, Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) and external contractors. Priority evidence needs around sustainable food production practices are identified in dialogue between DEFRA's agencies, evidence specialists and policy teams.

Food: Sustainable Development

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much her Department spent on skills training to assist in sustainable food production methods in the last year for which figures are available.

James Paice: The Government works with the industry through forums such as the Agri Skills Forum which brings together organisations with an interest in the development of rural and farming skills. We offer support for skills and training through individual initiatives, for example:
	The Rural Development Programme for England provides grant funding for skills and training. In 2011 the programme provided c£14 million of investment in skills and training for the agriculture and forestry sectors of which a significant part will have supported sustainable food production methods skills and training.
	The Farming Advice Service provides information on nutrient management, competitiveness and climate change adaption and mitigation which give details to improve sustainable food production methods.
	The Government provides a grant for the National Federation of Young Farmer's Clubs which is used for training and skills development.
	The food and farming industry takes the lead in investing in skills development, working with the network of Sector Skills Councils.

Origin Marking

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with her EU counterparts on extending the UK's labelling guidelines across the EU as a whole.

James Paice: Most labelling guidelines published by DEFRA (covering such topics as “sell-by” and “display-until” dates) are purely intended for use within the United Kingdom, since discussions within the EU on these matters take place within the framework of the Food Information Regulation. The only exception is the United Kingdom's voluntary labelling guidance for fresh produce, food and drink originating from the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Discussions have taken place about that guidance within the context of the Mashreq/Mahgreb European Council Working Group, during which the initiative taken by the United Kingdom provoked widespread interest. The European External Action Service has called on all EU member states, as well as the European Commission, to take appropriate steps in relation to labelling advice, and we have made it clear that the United Kingdom would be ready to provide, on request, further information about our own scheme.

Blood: Donors

Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people donated blood in England in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12.

Anne Milton: In 2010-11, 1.07 million people donated blood at least once at a session held, by NHS Blood and Transplant in England; in 2011-12, it was 1.05 million people. In each year, just under 2 million donations were collected.

Complaints

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints about the work of his Department and each of its agencies and non-departmental public bodies were received in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The following table shows how many complaints about the work of the Department and each of its agencies and non-departmental public bodies were received in 2010-11 and 2011-12.
	These figures are for financial years (April-March):
	
		
			 Department, agency or arm's length body How many complaints were received in 2010-11? How many complaints were received in 2011-12? 
			 Department of Health 31 21 
			 Alcohol Education and Research Council 0 0 
			 Appointments Commission 17 19 
			 Care Quality Commission(1):   
			 —Stage 1 207 548 
			 —Stage 2 51 47 
			 Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence 6 5 
			 General Social Care Council 143 116 
			 Health Protection Agency 22 20 
			 Human Fertilisation' and Embryology Authority 1 1 
			 Human Tissue Authority 1 1 
			 Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency(2) 4 5 
			 Monitor 4 1 
			 (1) Complaints about the Care Quality Commission are handled in two stages. Stage one is a local resolution stage managed within each individual directorate. If the complainant remains unhappy, they can request a more formal stage two review. This stage is managed by a central national complaints team. The number of stage one complaints was not captured centrally until April 2010. (2) Denotes executive agency.

Dementia

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients received treatment from the NHS for dementia in each year since 1997.

Paul Burstow: Data on out-patient activity for dementia are not routinely collected. However, in September 2011, the NHS Information Centre published the results of an audit of memory services for dementia which showed that 951 people per primary care trust on average accessed memory services in 2010-11, compared to 605 in 2008-09.
	Information on in-patient admissions for dementia is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Count of finished admission episodes (1)  (FAEs) with a primary diagnosis (2 ) of dementia by year from 1997-98 to 2010-11 
			  FAEs 
			 1997-98 29,925 
			 1998-99 29,998 
			 1999-2000 27,940 
			 2000-01 25,178 
			 2001-02 25,021 
			 2002-03 25,210 
			 2003-04 24,101 
			 2004-05 22,741 
			 2005-06 21,218 
			 2006-07 19,513. 
			 2007-08 18,088 
		
	
	
		
			 2008-09 17,536 
			 2009-10 17,614 
			 2010-11 17,275 
			 Notes: 1. Finished admission episodes A finished, admission episode (FAE) is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. FAEs are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. 2. Primary diagnosis The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and seven prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was admitted to hospital. 3. Data quality HES are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts in England and from some independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain. 4. Assessing growth through time HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, apparent reductions in activity may be due to a number of procedures which may now be undertaken in out-patient settings and so no longer include in admitted patient HES data. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre

Drugs: Misuse

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of the illegal use of controlled substances in (a) England, (b) the North East and (c) Teesside in the latest period for which figures are available.

Anne Milton: The cost of meeting the health needs in England and Wales arising from the use of Class A drugs was £488 million in 2003-04, as estimated in “Measuring different aspects of problem drug use: methodological developments, Home Office Online Report 16/06”. Separate figures for England, or regions within England, are not available.
	Additionally, Drug Treatment Outcomes Research Study, published in December 2009, assessed the outcomes, costs and benefits of drug treatment in England and estimated that in the absence of treatment the average annual cost to health and social care services would be £4,543 per person, structured treatment reduces this cost by 31% (£3,120).

Herbal Medicine

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether the introduction of the traditional herbal medicinal products directive changes the status of any herbal or botanical product previously or currently on the market as a botanical food supplement under the terms of the food supplements directive; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what research into food use for botanical ingredients the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency undertakes prior to determining whether such a use exists; whether such research has recently been undertaken by the agency into the use of milk thistle; and what consideration it gave to the use of milk thistle in fruit smoothies, Vietnamese chicken soup, cereals and porridge in any such research;
	(3)  for what reasons the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is requiring the removal from the market place of botanical food supplements which have no record of harm;
	(4)  what assessment he has made of the extent to which the approach to the interpretation of the provisions of the traditional herbal medicinal products directive of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency contributes to the Government's deregulation objectives;
	(5)  what (a) meetings and (b) correspondence (i) Ministers and (ii) officials in (A) his Department and (B) the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency have had with Insight Public Affairs; and if he will place in the Library a copy of each meeting report and item of correspondence.

Simon Burns: The classification of products as medicines is made on a case-by-case basis by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) under the Medicines for Human Use (Marketing Authorisations etc) Regulations 1994 as amended. The definition of the term “medicinal product” was not changed by the introduction of the traditional herbal medicinal products directive (THMPD).
	The MHRA will take all relevant information into account when assessing the status of a product. The MHRA has not carried out any research into the use of milk thistle in fruit smoothies, Vietnamese chicken soup, cereals and porridge. The MHRA seeks voluntary compliance with medicines legislation wherever possible and companies can ask for a review of any provisional determination that a product is a medicine.
	The MHRA is committed to effective, proportionate implementation of the European directive on traditional herbal medicines which can best ensure its benefits for consumers and for companies compliant with the legislation.
	A search of the Department's ministerial correspondence database has identified 10 items of correspondence received since 1 May 2010 from Insight Public Affairs. This figure relates to correspondence addressed to departmental Ministers and received by the Department's central correspondence unit only. It does not include correspondence addressed directly to officials as this information is not collated centrally. The MHRA has not had any meetings with Insight Public Affairs on the THMPD but has received four Freedom of Information requests from them. Officials intend to place copies of the correspondence in the Library at a later date subject to written consent being received from concerned parties, who have been contacted in line with the requirements of the Data Protection Act and the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Hospitals: Greater London

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many operations were cancelled by (a) North West London Hospitals Trust, (b) Hillingdon Hospital, (c) St Mary's Hospital Paddington and (d) Chelsea and Westminster Hospital on or after the day of admission in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; how many out-patient appointments were cancelled by each hospital in each year; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: This information is not held in the format requested. Information is available at trust level.
	
		
			 Number of cancelled operations for non clinical reasons 
			  Cancelled Operations 
			 Hospital Provider 2010-11 2011-12 
			 North West London Hospitals NHS Trust 447 477 
			 The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 161 148 
			 Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust 642 672 
			 Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS 91 88 
			 Note: A last minute cancellation is one that occurs on the day the patient was due to arrive, after they have arrived in hospital or on the day of their operation. Source: Department of Health, Knowledge and Intelligence 
		
	
	
		
			 Number of outpatient hospital appointments and cancellations 2010-11 and April to January 2011-12 (provisional data) 
			  All Appointments Hospital cancellations 
			 Hospital Provider 2010-11 2011-12 2010-11 2011-12 
			 North West London Hospitals NHS Trust 446,986 360,155 0 0 
			 The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 336,169 279,539 0 0 
			 Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust 1,230,773 1,043,301 131,371 110,961 
			 Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 543,829 518,497 0 0 
			 Notes: 1. Appointments and cancellations These are counts of appointments and not patients as the same patient may have more than one appointment in a year. It should be noted that cancellation information is not collected on a mandatory basis and therefore zero values may indicate that a provider does not collect this information. 2. Hospital provider Hospital providers can also include treatment centres. Normally, if data are tabulated by health care provider, the figure for an NHS trust gives the activity of all the sites as one aggregated figure. 3. Outpatient Data Quality Outpatient Hospital Episode Statistics data were collected for the first time in 2003-04 and data quality, particularly for clinical information, remains poor. It is not mandatory to code procedures on outpatient records and only around 2% of records have completed clinical codes. We have no reliable existing data source to validate these data against, as Department of Health aggregate returns have never collected clinical codes; it is not clear how representative the figures are. The data represent a sample of outpatient attendances. Statistical estimates.(such as median and 90th percentile waiting times for main operations) must be regarded as potentially unreliable until it is possible to assess the quality of local coding. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, Health and Social Care Information Centre

Medical Treatments

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 16 May 2012, Official Report, column 154W, on pain: mental illness, if he will commission further research into the efficacy of mindfulness-based therapies in the treatment of chronic pain and associated depression.

Paul Burstow: The Department has no plans to specifically commission research into the efficacy of mindfulness-based therapies in the treatment of chronic pain and associated depression. However, the Department's National Institute for Health Research welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including mindfulness-based therapies. These applications are subject to peer review and-judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the scientific quality of the proposals made.

Postnatal Depression

Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to improve the quality of data on the number of women diagnosed with post-natal depression.

Anne Milton: We do not hold data on the number of women suffering from postnatal depression centrally.
	Postnatal depression encompasses a range of diagnoses from anxiety and depression to the more severe puerperal psychosis, with symptoms occurring a few weeks or months after birth. Postnatal depression may be diagnosed by different health professionals such as midwives, health visitors or general practitioners seeing women in different settings and using different information systems.
	The issue of improving links between maternity and mental health information collections to enable better analysis has been considered by the. NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre. Recommendations for improvement will be developed during 2012-13.

Rape: Drugs

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the NHS has taken to ensure hospitals have early evidence kits to allow them to administer tests for the presence of date-rape drugs; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: The collection of evidence that can be used in criminal proceedings is the responsibility of the police. Early evidence kits are designed for the collection of samples to capture evidence following an allegation of sexual assault and, as such, are standard issue for police and forensic physicians, rather than accident and emergency (A&E) departments. Where someone has been assaulted and presents to an A&E department, they may be referred or taken to a Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARCs), many of which are located in hospitals. All SARCs are able to carry out a detailed forensic medical examination and to provide holistic treatment for the victim in the immediate aftermath of sexual assault. Alternatively, a forensic physician provided by the police can attend the A&E department to take initial samples. Guidance has been issued by the Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine on the provision of samples for forensic use, and on testing for drugs.
	Testing for the presence of drugs requires a urine sample which any A&E department can collect if necessary and would not require the use of an early evidence kit. Hair can also be sampled up to one month later, depending on the drug used.

Apprentices

Duncan Hames: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of apprenticeships terminated within 12 months in each of the last two years; and of those, how many apprentices left their placement for permanent employment.

John Hayes: Apprenticeships are of varying durations and we have taken 'termination' in this case to mean leaving the apprenticeship early due to redundancy.
	The Learner Satisfaction Survey (2009) asked about reasons for leaving early. Fewer than 5% said they left due to redundancy.
	Accurate information on the reasons for non-completion is not currently available in administrative data (the Individualised Learner Record).
	Note that apprenticeships are not 'placements' but jobs and the majority of these are permanent contracts. The Learner Satisfaction Survey shows that 17% of those who left the apprenticeship early said they did so to change jobs.
	In terms of what monitoring is in place for completed apprentices the Department (with NAS) undertakes surveys which ask about their employment outcomes after completion. The most recent (published May 2012) shows 89% in employment and 3% in education or training.
	We are also able to track apprentices through our matched datasets to look at wage and employment outcomes. This dataset is still quite new but has the potential to greatly enhance our knowledge of such outcomes.

Business: Government Assistance

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking 
	(1)  to assist small and medium-sized enterprises to grow;
	(2)  to encourage the creation of new small and medium-sized enterprises.

Mark Prisk: We want to make the UK the best place in the world to start and grow a business, and for the next decade to be the most entrepreneurial and dynamic in Britain's history. That is why, in January, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister launched “Business in You”, a major year-long campaign, to inspire people to realise their business ambitions and to highlight the range of support available for start-ups and growing businesses.
	We recognise that these are challenging times for new and existing businesses and we have introduced a range of measures to encourage people to set up their own business and support to help businesses survive and grow.
	Encouraging an entrepreneurial mindset
	We are supporting a number of measures aimed at inspiring young people to think about setting up their own business, including:
	Supporting every school to develop and run its own business through “the Enterprise Village”
	www.enterprisevillage.org.uk
	Supporting the Premier League in developing a Premier League Enterprise Academy model, enabling football clubs to foster enterprise among young people and principally in deprived areas.
	Supporting the Inspiring the Future initiative
	www.inspiringthefuture.org
	which aims to get 100,000 people to volunteer to go into schools to talk about their jobs and careers.
	Supporting Speakers for Schools
	http://www.speakers4schools.org/
	which aims to have 1,000 speakers who can address the topical issues of the day.
	Supporting the development of Tenner (a programme providing school children with £10 to fund a business idea and to grow their money).
	Supporting the creation of student-led enterprise societies and ensuring their support is accessible to all students in further education and higher education by 2015.
	Ensuring individuals and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can access the support and advice they need to start and grow their business
	We have transformed the way that we enable people to access the information, guidance and advice they need to start and grow a business. We have put in place a range of services including;
	An improved www.businesslink.gov.uk website including My New Business, a comprehensive start-up service, and a new Growth and Improvement Service.
	A Business Link helpline which will support those who are unable to access the internet.
	A mentoring portal www.mentorsme.co.uk providing an easy route to find experienced business mentors.
	Ensuring businesses can access the finance they need
	Ensuring the flow of credit to viable SMEs is essential for supporting growth and is a core priority for this Government. Government has:
	Introduced a new National Loan Guarantee Scheme: up to £20 billion of guarantees for bank funding will be available over two years allowing banks to offer lower cost lending to SMEs.
	Increased the funds available to invest through the Business Finance Partnership (BFP) to £1.2 billion. Government has invited the first round of proposals to help businesses access non-bank finance through the BFP, and will allocate £100 million of the BFP to invest through non-traditional lending channels.
	Announced the continuation of the Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) scheme until 2014/15, providing, subject to demand, over £2 billion in total over the next four years.
	Announced continuation of the Government's Enterprise Capital Funds programme, increasing our commitment by £200 million over the next four years, providing for more than £300 million of venture capital investment to address the equity gap for early stage innovative SMEs.
	Announced a new £10 million Startup Loans scheme to provide start-up finance for 18 to 24-year-olds looking to start their own business due to be launched later this month.
	Encouraged Business Angel investment through a new £50 million Business Angel Co-Investment Fund.
	Welcomed the report of the industry review of non-bank lending chaired by Tim Breedon and will take forward its recommendations over the course of this year, including: considering how to simplify access to Government support for smaller businesses; encouraging prompt payment by larger firms; and supporting industry work to remove barriers to alternative sources of finance.
	Introduced a Regional Growth Fund, a £2.4 billion fund operating across England from 2011 to 2015. It supports projects and programmes that lever private sector investment creating economic growth and sustainable employment.
	Ensuring that regulation supports business growth
	Introduced a 'one-in, one-out' rule whereby no new regulations which impose costs on businesses can be brought in without regulation of an equivalent value being removed.
	Introduced a three-year moratorium on new domestic regulation affecting micro businesses and genuine start-ups.
	Introduced the Red Tape Challenge to tackle the stock of regulation via a comprehensive thematic review which aims to identify regulations that could be removed, simplified or done in a different way. By the end of December 2011 we had scrapped or simplified over 600 regulations.
	Reformed the way in which regulations are implemented, including a review of regulators to ensure enforcement arrangements are appropriate and proportionate. Government will also launch sector-based reviews of regulation to ensure it is enforced at the lowest possible cost to business.
	Announced significant deregulation of employment law in order to reduce barriers to businesses taking on new staff.
	Encouraging exporting SMEs
	Export markets are vital for growth. We have taken a number of measures to support exporting, including:
	Government will spend £35 million to double, from 25,000 to 50,000, the number of SMEs that UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) supports a year by 2015. Many components of the UKTI product are aimed at SMEs:
	Passport to Export is a trade development programme offering new and inexperienced exporters help and support to build the capability to start exporting proactively and make their first visit to an export market. Launched in 2001, it has helped around 14,000 SMEs as of January 2012.
	Gateway to Global Growth offers experienced SME exporters the opportunity to increase their exporting skills and awareness of what is on offer from UKTI and private sector suppliers. The aim is to help them enter more difficult markets or expand in existing ones.
	Market Visit Support provides assistance to new to export and/or new to market SMEs visiting overseas markets, individually or in groups as part of their trade development process.
	Budget 2012 set out an ambition to more than double annual UK exports to £1 trillion by 2020 through additional measures including expanding the overseas role of UK Export Finance to enable it to develop finance packages that could help UK exporters secure opportunities identified through UKTI's High Value Opportunities programme; helping secure temporary private sector office space overseas for new UK exporters in high growth countries where such services are difficult to obtain; and continuing to increase UK Export Finance's regional presence in the UK to support SMEs seeking trade finance.
	Measures to encourage entrepreneurship in specific groups:
	Introduced 24 Enterprise Zones across England to generate businesses and jobs, helping to rebalance the economy. Benefits to business include a simplified planning regime, a business rate discount worth up to £275,000 over a five year period, priorities and Government support to ensure that super-fast broadband is rolled out throughout the zones.
	Be the Boss—a £5 million fund to allow the Royal British Legion to help ex- service personnel to set up and grow businesses by reducing the costs and barriers associated with self-employment and start-ups, including mentoring support.
	Working with social landlords to remove red tape and encourage more tenants to start up businesses.

Carbon Emissions

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his Department's total level of carbon emissions was between (a) 1 April 2010 and 1 April 2011 and (b) 2 April 2011 and 1 April 2012.

Norman Lamb: The information requested is as follows:
	(a) BIS' carbon emissions from its office estate for financial year 2010/11 were 6,534.59 tonnes.
	(b) BIS' carbon emissions from its office estate for financial year 2011/12 were 3,991.5 tonnes. This represents a 38.92% reduction in emissions compared to 2010/11. This significant reduction can be attributed in large part (2,446.53 tonnes) to the vacation of Kingsgate House in March 2011.

Carbon Emissions

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what measures his Department introduced to reduce its carbon emissions in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Norman Lamb: The Greening Government Commitments which were announced in 2010 have set the target to reduce carbon emissions by 25% by 2014/15 from a 2009/10 baseline. To meet this target and to reduce BIS' resource consumption and related operational costs a number of measures have been introduced.
	(a) In May 2010 David Cameron announced the 10% carbon reduction campaign, to be achieved within a year. BIS participated in this by carrying out a variety of measures:
	Expediting site rationalisation process.
	Installed voltage reduction equipment.
	Aligned operating temperatures with best practice for the public sector and adjusted set points on heating and cooling.
	Implementing an “optimal core hours window” for heating and cooling.
	Revising server room cooling temperatures.
	Eliminating unnecessary or redundant internal and external lighting.
	Installed timers on lifts and shut off six lifts at the weekend and evenings.
	Turning computers and monitors off properly during prolonged absences.
	An internal communications campaign run jointly by Estates and Internal Communications teams, which ran poster campaigns, intranet stories, off and online suggestion boxes and foyer displays.
	(b) In March 2011 BIS vacated Kingsgate House a year before the lease expiry and all non-essential plant was switched off with the building mothballed as far as possible.
	The measures which were introduced in 2010 were maintained and replicated. This included the partial shutdown of 1 Victoria street during the Christmas period with heating only provided to the ‘spur’ of the building.
	(c) In 2012, BIS are continuing to monitor energy consumption and limit plant running times to reduce consumption.
	Projects that are taking place which have an energy reduction component to them include replacing cooling plant in two buildings with more efficient chillers and a lift refurbishment project. A toilet refurbishment project is currently out to tender and the specification has stipulated low voltage lighting and hand dryers.

Construction: Billing

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what arrangements are in place for sub-contractors to report incomplete payments made by contractors in the construction sector; how complaints are arbitrated; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: The Government has taken a number of measures to improve cash flow in the construction industry. These include:
	improving the Construction Act to increase access to adjudication (a quick 28 day dispute resolution process), improving communication of what is to be paid and remove unnecessary bureaucracy and red tape.
	making it a contractual requirement that payment reaches the third tier of the supply chain within 30 days on Government construction projects;
	increasing the use of project bank accounts.
	More generally BIS supports the Institute of Credit Management's Prompt Payment Code and Cash Flow Management Guides. The public sector seeks to set an example in this with a commitment that central Departments pay 80% of invoices within five days. People working on public sector contracts can report cases of non-payment to the Efficiency Reform Group in the Cabinet Office.

Exports: Copyright

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the (a) size and (b) importance of copyright licensing to the UK's exports.

Norman Lamb: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has not made its own assessment of the size and importance of copyright licensing to the UK's exports.
	The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Creative Economy Report 2010 shows that in 2008 the UK exported nearly $20 billion in creative goods
	http://archive.unctad.org/templates/webflyer.asp?docid =14229&intitemID=5763&lang=1&mode=downloads
	This figure informed the Hargreaves Review of Intellectual Property and Growth.
	Estimates of export licence income, including copyright, are included in ONS surveys of International Trade in Services, which is summarised in United Kingdom Balance of Payments—The Pink Book at:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/bop/united-kingdom-balance-of-payments/2011/tsd-pink-book-2011-time-series.html
	IPO is working with ONS to improve estimates of copyright investment and income in UK national accounts.

Exports: North West

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the value was of exports to (a) European economic area (EEA) and (b) non-EEA countries from (i) the North West and (ii) Pendle in 2011.

Mark Prisk: HMRC publish regional trade in goods data on the UKTradeinfo website.
	(i) In 2011 exports of goods from the North West region to (a) EEA countries was £13.6 million, while exports to (b) non-EEA countries was £12.5 million.
	It is not possible to calculate a value for Pendle as data is only published at a regional level.

Foreign Investment in UK: Pakistan

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the level of foreign direct investment in the UK from Pakistani investors in each of the last five years.

Mark Prisk: Estimates of foreign direct investment in the UK are produced by the Office for National Statistics. Data for the last five years in shown below. Data for 2011 is due for publication in February 2013.
	
		
			 Investment from Pakistan in the UK, 2006-10 
			 £ million 
			  2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 FDI flows 9 4 0 n/a 0 
			 FDI stocks 84 97 n/a n/a 91 
			 FDI earnings 12 5 0 n/a 0 
			 n/a = Not available Source: BIS analysis of ONS data

Four Seasons Health Care

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department had any communication with Terra Firma representatives about the company's short and long-term plans for the care and nursing home group, Four Seasons, prior to its recent takeover of Four Seasons; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills received correspondence from Terra Firma following its takeover of Four Seasons Healthcare. Responsibility for the regulation and oversight of the residential care sector rests with the Secretary of State for Health, the right hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr Lansley). I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him on 21 May 2012, Official Report, column 460W, by the Minister of State, Department of Health, my hon. Friend the Member for Sutton and Cheam (Paul Burstow).
	Officials in the Shareholder Executive have been providing professional advice to the Department of Health to assist it in its work.

Overseas Trade: China

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of exports were to China in each of the last three years.

Mark Prisk: Data on exports of goods from the UK to China is available from the UKTradeinfo website. Data is shown in the following table.
	In 2011 3.0% of UK exports of goods were to China.
	In 2010 2.7% of UK exports of goods were to China.
	In 2009 2.3% of UK exports of goods were to China.
	
		
			 £ million 
			 UK exports to: 2011 2010 2009 
			 China 8,773 7,225 5,129 
			 World 295,629 263,905 226,323 
			 Source: BIS Analysis of HMRC Overseas Trade Statistics

Public Sector

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many new public sector mutuals were created or spun-off by his Department in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: The Department for Business Innovation and Skills is committed to supporting the creation and growth of public service mutuals.
	Online Centres Foundation was established in 2011-12 as a mutual, staff owned company, by staff previously employed by Ufl to manage UK Online Centres. Following a tendering process undertaken by the Skills Funding Agency, the foundation was appointed as the managing agent for the UK Online Centres with effect from 1 December 2011.
	In addition a number of further education colleges, as private sector organisations delivering public services, are exploring mutualisation within projects supported through the Cabinet Office Mutual Pathfinder Programme. The Community Learning Trust Pilots prospectus also included mutuals operating as social enterprises as a potential operating model for pilot trusts.

Students: Loans

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on what date he plans to publish the equality impact assessment for his 24+ Advanced Learner Loans.

John Hayes: The Equality Impact Assessment for 24+ Advanced Learning loans will be published alongside the overall Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) for FE loans, publication of which is anticipated following clearance by the Regulatory Reform Committee.